A comparative study on the asylum landscapes within the EU for Iraqis after the 2003 Iraq war and Syrians after the 2011 Syrian civil war

Abstract

This paper attempts to formulate the general asylum landscapes within the EU during the 2003 Iraq War and the 2011 Syrian Civil War. The overall picture gleamed from this comparison is intended to evaluate how the EU and its MS addressed the effects of one Middle Eastern crisis (in Iraq) in order to apply lessons learned to the current crisis in the Middle East (Syria). By concurrently analysing the phenomenon of Iraqis seeking shelter within the European Union following the 2003 Iraq War as well as the occurrence of Syrians fleeing to the EU following the 2011 Syrian civil war, this study attempts to provide a comparative lens with which to view the present-day crisis in Syria, to document the progress regarding asylum adjudication within the EU -indeed how asylum-seekers are granted or not granted protection within the European Union, especially in times of mass humanitarian crises- and to acquire an understanding of the past in order to formulate new solutions to current crises.